Constant
by PeachEclair
Summary: There are many constants in Nate's life. His brother is one of them, but not for the reasons that you'd expect. [Alternative Ending to Uncharted 4]


**Hi everyone! I'm back!**

**Before you get angry, I am very sorry for not updating! I went through a bit of a health crisis over the last few months (during study and exam time. YAY.), so any spare time that I wasn't dealing with that was spent ****in front of a computer studying. This piece took me ages because of that, so I apologize****for my inactivity. You might have noticed that it's an Uncharted piece, which I'm very excited about, as I love these games to death. Expect more Uncharted fics in the future! One last thing, I'm still working on chapter two of 'The Truth Hurts', I promise that I haven't forgotten about it! I just had a bit of a writer's block. :-(**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

Nathan Drake often disagrees with his brother. Or rather _used_ _to_ disagree with his brother, as he hadn't seen him in fifteen years. This time period seems non-existent though, as the Drake brothers fall back into the same easy chatter and teasing that they used to share. The disagreements seem to be part of this routine, and before long, the two adventurers will start to argue. It always concludes without much fighting however, as the source of the majority of the arguments stem from childish things.

What Nathan Drake _doesn't _do is doubt his brother. His brother has always seemed like a pillar of strength in Nate's life, someone who will support him when everything else has fallen through, he's Nate's one true trustworthy partner. Or at least, he used to be.

Nate had always found it hard to trust others. It comes from having everyone in his life either give up on him or push him away. Victor Sullivan did neither of those things, and before long, Nate found himself trusting the mentor-turned-father-figure. He still acted cautious around him for the first few years, trying not to get too close to him, and therefore leaving a foot in the door if need be. Victor understood his actions and actually supported him through this. Before long, Nate started thinking of him as 'Sully', his lifelong friend who he can always count on. Decades later this statement still rings true.

Another unexpected inclusion into Nate's circle of friends is Elena Fisher. A well-travelled journalist who Nate severely underestimated when he first met her. She was nothing like the 'ditzy blonde' that she appeared to be, able to hold her own in a fight, regardless of whether it be a bare knuckle brawl, or a shoot-out. She wormed her way into Nate's life, popping up over the years and adventures until Nate had finally got down on one knee.

Nate doesn't regret much in his life, but he does regret the events that led to their eventual separation. Perhaps it was too much too soon, or maybe they weren't ready for this type of commitment yet in their relationship, or it could even be Nate's trust issues resurfacing. Needless to say, they ended it.

But apparently fate wasn't done with them yet. They found each other in Yemen (well, Nate called her up to help him and Sully) and feelings re-emerged amid the chaos that ensued. What surprised Nate the most was Elena's desire to stay with him, even when he did some crazy (and mostly stupid) things, she had _still_ stayed. No-one had ever shown him this much dedication apart from Sully, meaning that Elena truly loved him. So when Nate proposed again, it felt _right_.

This though, this felt wrong. Nate was doubting his brother. Or more accurately, doubting his brother's priorities. Sam was adamant that they turn back to retrieve the treasure from Henry Avery's ship, even though it was surrounded by trained mercenaries. Nate tries to persuade his brother not to. "_Sam… we're not those kids anymore. We're not. And we got nothing to prove._"

Nate has never felt uneasy about his brother's motives either. But here Sam is, talking back to the two people that Nate trusts the most in the world, and desperately wanting the treasure. Not to finally finish their mother's work, not to uncover secrets of history or even donate it to a museum. To outsmart Rafe, and succeed where Avery did not. Nate's not sure when Sam's intentions became a gray area to him. Nate's not even sure when his list of three trustworthy people became two.

It doesn't matter what Nate says, as Sam, his _brother_ ditches them, promising to see it through. Sam runs back to the mountain -_to almost certain death,_ and for some reason Nate follows. Despite the aching in his heart. Despite the literal aching of his muscles. Despite the thoughts of 'wasn't I enough?' that circulate through his head.

There's a little voice in the back of his mind that notes that his wife and mentor (pseudo-father), the only people that are under no blood obligation don't leave Nate stranded on the island (it would be incredibly easy considering they have a plane nearby), but instead insist on coming (which doesn't work but they at least tried) and assure Nate that the plane will be ready for the two brothers.

Nate doesn't know what he did to deserve these two people that have proved time and time again that they would go to the literal ends of the Earth for him. A fleeting thought passes through his head, stating that these two people cancel out his bad brother. He dismisses this thought and scolds himself for thinking such things. Sam isn't a bad person, right? It's becoming harder and harder to believe that, especially when the evidence is piled up. Firstly there is the Alcazar lie. All of the times he swindled Rafe, or even his brother. And the fact that Sam was out of prison for two years before coming to find Nate…

_If he never double-crossed Rafe, would Sam have even sought Nate out?_

This thought hits Nate like a brick, pushing the air from his lungs and causing him to stop running.

_He would have, wouldn't he?_

Nate continues on his way, half in a daze, purely acting on auto-pilot as he heads back to the mountain. The same incessant thought runs through his head on repeat. Nate doesn't know how to answer it, doesn't know if he _wants_ to answer it, so he doesn't.

As expected, when Nate reaches Avery's boat, Sam is in trouble. As if Rafe wasn't dangerous enough before, now that his ship is wrecked and on fire, coupled with his business partner abandoning him (He personally thinks that Nadine made the right call, but he doesn't say that as he doubts she would let him live) Rafe is a force to be reckoned with. He has nothing to lose, and it makes him that much more unpredictable.

Before Nate knows what he's doing, he is standing opposite Rafe, sword in hand, and is furiously hoping that his quick reflexes, adaptability and sheer luck are enough to beat probably years of fencing training. The sword fight doesn't really seem to be in Nate's favour, but it helps that Rafe is angry. Ridiculously angry. If Nate was paying more attention to what Rafe was saying, which wasn't as high up on his list of priorities as not-dying, he would have realised that Rafe was jealous of him.

"_You want to hear insane? "Nathan Drake raced a madman and his entire army to the steps of Shambhala." "Nathan Drake found a lost city in the middle of the Rub' al Khali desert." "Nathan Drake discovered the fabled El Dorado…" "Nathan Drake is a legend." You know, I shoot the man who told me that."_

Somehow he manages to stay alive long enough to slice a nearby rope, which dropped the treasure on top of Rafe. Nate barely had time to process how his infamous luck once again shone through, before he was racing over to where his brother was trapped.

Every part of his mind is screaming at him to do something, he can't let his brother down again, not after he had just came back. Sam is telling him to save himself, and it's all Nate can do to stop himself screaming at his brother. Nate feels the panic build inside him as the attempts to free his brother are unsuccessful. He left his brother once to die, and he will not make the same mistake, even if it means drowning with him. Every survival instinct inside of him is begging him to leave, to save himself, but he ignores it. Even as the ship starts to fall to pieces around them.

His brain comes up with an idea at the literal last minute. He uses an old cannon, that still miraculously works, to blow a hole in the side of the ship, letting the water rush in alleviate some of the weight on the beam that is trapping Sam. Nate has never felt relief like this before, and he almost starts crying in happiness.

Thankfully, Sam is uninjured, and the two brothers swim through the hole that Nate created. The water is frigid and dark, and Nate can feel the sharp sting of salt on the scrapes and grazes all over his body. His side is also quite sore, but he chalks it up to the rough journey that his body has been through over the last few hours. He did fall off a cliff after all.

He has no time to worry about that, as they still aren't out of danger. The ship explodes behind them, and starts to bring the cave down with it. Nate and Sam swim furiously in an effort to avoid being crushed and somehow make it.

They surface to see Elena waiting for them. Nate is still amazed that after all that he did, she had stayed behind. Regardless, her face brighten up when she sees him, and she rushes forward to help pull him out of the water. This is much appreciated by Nate, who feels like all energy has left him. Probably the adrenaline wearing off.

Nate lies on his back, side by side with his brother, and thanks whatever guardian is watching over him for pulling through another crazy adventure. And without losing his brother. That alone feels like a miracle.

Elena uses a flare gun to signal their position to Sully. A mixture of love and guilt stirs up inside Nate, and he swears that he feels nauseous for a second. It could also be hunger though. He hasn't eaten in a while. In quite a while actually. He might have to order a steak when they eventually find a motel. It'll be a while until they get there though. Maybe Elena has something.

His musings on food is cut short by the rumbling of a plane engine. Well, _sea_ plane actually, as Sully likes to point out. He lifts his head to slightly to see the familiar plane land close to them. They still will have to swim to reach it. For some reason, Nate feels like swimming that distance will require a herculean effort. He must be really tired.

"C'mon, Nate." Elena calls to her husband. She helps Sam up, because he's the closest to her, before turning towards Nate, who is still lying on the ground. She offers her hand, which Nate takes gratefully. She heaves him up, before gathering their gear.

Nate feels dizzy as soon as she does that. That's not usual. All of a sudden the nausea returns, along with a sharp pain in his side. _Did he pull a muscle?_ He tries to walk forward, which is harder than it should be due to the fact _that the Earth is rocking_, but his side protests, causing him to wince, and clutch his side.

Elena hears him wince, and looks up from her task. Nate is looking a bit worse for wear. He's unnaturally pale, and he's clutching his side with a pained expression on his face. Her anxiety spikes, and dread starts to pool in her stomach.

"Nate?" She asks. The unsaid _are you okay?_ is tagged onto the end of her query.

Nate wants to answer with _no, I'm not okay, I'm feeling funny and my side is sore_. But his attention is drawn to the liquid that is coating the fingers that are pressed to his side. He's had enough injuries in the field to know immediately what it is, and the sharp metallic smell confirms it. Blood.

Elena's eyes widen as she sees the scarlet appear on his fingers. His shirt is too dark to see how much is on his clothes, but the fact that his fingers are dripping tells the journalist all she needs to know. Nate is bleeding. Nate is injured.

"NATE!" Elena yells, running forward towards him. She somehow manages to catch him as he collapses. Her mind is racing, and her hands are shaking as she applies pressure to the wound with one hand, and supports his head with the other. She gently lays him down on the rock and picks up her walkie-talkie, still applying pressure. Elena throws it towards the other Drake brother, Sam, who is standing a few feet away looking shocked. She can't blame him. She's also terrified at how the situation quickly went downhill. Still, Sam snaps out of it, and calls Sully, his voice slightly wavering as he updates the older man on the situation.

Nate is unaware of all of the chaos surrounding him. His world at the moment consists of pain, nausea and not much else. The world is still tilting, but now it seems to be lulling him to sleep. In the distance he thinks he hears his brother yell at him, but he isn't sure. His last as he closes his eyes is that he can make it up to his brother when he wakes.

When Nate regains consciousness, Sam is gone. Elena is sitting at his bedside, and so is Sully, but there is an absence in the room. Elena is crying when Nate opens his eyes, but she smiles at him and kisses him on the forehead. Sully rests a hand on Nate's shoulder, also smiling, and informs him that he gave everyone '_one hell of a scare.'_ Apparently he had been clipped by Rafe's blade, but hadn't noticed it until the adrenaline wore off. Nate is grateful for Elena and Sully, but he can't help but feel that their smiles seem just a little too bright. It isn't until he asks after Sam that he realises why. They both averted their eyes, and the small voice in Nate's head confirmed what he had thought all along. Sam had left him.

Nate cries about his brother for the first time in fifteen years. It feels cathartic, but also desolate. Like he's mourning the loss of his brother for the first time. However, unlike when he lost his brother for the first time, Nate doesn't feel as lonely. Sully and Elena know about Sam now. It helps that with everything out in the open, there's nothing more to say.

And so, for the second time in his life, Nathan Drake doubts his brother. Sam won't return. There are too many temptations out there for him to be satisfied with Nate and his family.

It's okay though, because Nate has gotten used to the constant feeling of loss whenever he thinks of his brother. And he now feels fills it with people who love him.

**It's a bit sad, I know. It was originally going to be an introspective piece, but the idea of hurting Nate was too tempting. I'm sorry if it was a bit of a hodge-podge, it was written a few paragraphs at a time at different occasions. I also wasn't sure about the perspective, so I did whatever. If you loved it, or have constructive criticisms, let me know! I probably missed a huge chunk of plot or something!**

**\- Peach**


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